Jay Castille Talks Deputy Police Chief & Parish Fire Protection – Lafayette Live

It’s a busy time for the Lafayette City-Parish Council.

On top of their usual meetings each month, August serves as the month where additional budget meetings take place to set up the budget for 2016-2017. Budget hearings start at 1:00 p.m. on Thursday for Fire, Police, Public Works and Capital Appropriations.

Lafayette City-Parish Council Chair Jay Castille joined “Acadiana’s Morning News” to discuss these issues with Bernadette Lee.

The Lafayette Police Department took up much of the discussion, as the LCG Council approved $120,000 for equipment for officers, in light of the attacks on police officers in Baton Rouge and Dallas and possible riots.

They also discussed the Council adding a Deputy Chief position to the department.

Castille said he has served under deputy chiefs and assistant chiefs in his professional career. He said the leadership model that was better suited included a deputy chief.

“I support it because I know the Deputy Chief’s position will take a lot off the plate, as far as for operations, from the Chief and allow the Chief to do more, get involved in the community and get more programs going and work with the elected officials to make things better," says Castille. "A Deputy Chief will do his day-to-day operations, which takes up a lot of the Chief’s time. And, nowadays, he doesn’t have that much free time.”

The conversation then shifted towards the budget meetings and they touched upon cuts for the unincorporated areas of Lafayette Parish. Castille mentioned how they will try to put more money back into the parish fire protection so residents’ insurance rates don’t jump significantly high, as much as double.